This car was personally commissioned by Carroll Shelby to become a faithful Green Hornet prototype recreation, only the second of its kind. After it was built it remained in the Carroll Shelby Foundation until the year 2019.
The original “Green Hornet” prototype was one of two notchbacks used by Shelby for testing new technologies, the other car was known as “Little Red.” They would be the only notchbacks ever built by Shelby American, Inc.
Fast Facts – Carroll Shelby’s Green Hornet Prototype
- In 1967 a green “Lime Gold” 1968 model year notchback Mustang was built and shipped to Shelby to be used as a testbed for the GT/Super Coupe program.
- After the GT/SC project was cancelled the car was turned into a prototype for the proposed “California Special,” a special edition Mustang destined for the West Coast.
- The car became known as the “Green Hornet,” it would later be used as a testbed for things like a full independent rear suspension system for the Mustang, four-wheel disc brakes, Conelec fuel-injection, a Shelby-modified C6 automatic transmission, and the 428 CJ-X big-block V8 engine.
- Years later Shelby would commission a recreation of this car to be built to match its earlier specification, likely for sentimental reasons. It remained in the Carroll Shelby Foundation until 2019. This is the car you see in this article.
The Green Hornet Prototype
In 1967 the Ford Motor Company built a green “Lime Gold” 1968 model year notchback Mustang on their regular production line. It was assigned to Shelby American Inc. and shipped off to California.
The car is finished in Lime Gold with a black vinyl roof. The name “Green Hornet” is said to have been coined by Bill Cosby, long before his fall from grace.
A second car was also similarly assigned, it was a red notchback and would become known as “Little Red.” Together these two cars would be the only notchback Mustangs ever officially built up to Shelby configuration, the others were all either fastbacks or convertibles.
Once at the Shelby facility in California the green notchback was used as a testbed for the GT/Super Coupe program. Also known as GT/SC, this program was ultimately cancelled however all hope wasn’t lost.
A new special edition of the Mustang called the “California Special” was being worked on by Shelby and Ford, and the car now known as the “Green Hornet” was used as a testbed for it – though it was officially known as EXP-500.
The California Special program would prove successful, the car was offered for sale on the West Coast and enjoyed solid popularity – in fact it still does with collectors.
Above Video: This extensive interview shows Shelby talking about his life, including his early life, his racing career, and his later life developing his own high-performance cars.
Interestingly, the name Green Hornet was said to have been suggested to Carroll Shelby by his friend and well-known comedian Bill Cosby. This was many decades before Cosby’s fall from grace and imprisonment of course, when he was still a beloved figure in the United States.
Later in the life of the Green Hornet it would be used to test a multitude of proposed new technologies for the Mustang including an all-new independent rear suspension system, four-wheel disc brakes, Conelec fuel-injection, a Shelby-modified C6 automatic transmission, and the 428 CJ-X big-block V8 engine.
It’s standard practice in the automotive industry to have prototype vehicles crushed once their development program is completed. This is apparently to stop them ending up in the hands of consumers, and potentially opening themselves up to lawsuits should the car’s prototype status result in safety or reliability shortcomings.
Inside, the car looks almost entirely stock standard – just the name embroided on the seat backs gives away its performance potential.
Fortunately this fate didn’t befall the Green Hornet. The folks at Shelby American had grown fond of the car and it’s “Little Red” sibling so some strings were pulled with Ford, and both cars still exist today.
Carroll Shelby’s Green Hornet Prototype 2.0
Many years after the original Green Hornet had been sold off into private ownership Carroll Shelby commissioned a recreation or replica be built for his collection.
It’s not known why, but it seems likely that the car held no small amount of sentimental value for him. The late-1960s had been a golden time for Shelby, he had gone to Le Mans with Ford and trounced Ferrari, and the Shelby Cobra was one of the most desirable sports cars in the United States.
Under the hood you’ll find a Shelby 428 V8 engine producing of 400 bhp at 6,000 rpm. It’s fitted with a Holley 700 CFM 4-barrel carburetor with a high volume fuel pump.
He had the car built up from a correct 1968 Ford Mustang notchback in green, officially Lime Gold. It was then fitted with a correct Shelby 428 V8 engine capable of 400 bhp at 6,000 rpm.
The engine is fitted with a Shelby intake and a Holley 700 CFM 4-barrel carburetor with a high volume fuel pump and it’s mated to a three-speed modified heavy duty C6 automatic transmission.
During the rebuild the car was given front and rear disc brakes, but it kept the trouble-free live axle rear end rather than the independent rear suspension that was used on the later versions of the Green Hornet.
Once completed the car became a part of the Carroll Shelby Foundation where it would remain until being sold in 2019 – seven years after Shelby had passed away.
The car is fitted with the correct alloy wheels and Goodyear Eagle GTII tires, as well as the correct decals.
The car is now coming up for sale once again. It comes with a Marti Report and it’s listed in the Shelby Registry, plus the fact that Shelby himself commissioned the car and owned it means it’s now highly collectible – even if it’s not the original Green Hornet prototype.
It now has just 1,643 miles on the odometer and it’s due to roll across the auction block with Mecum in late July in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Mecum
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